Zotero Overview
Traditionally, books and other paper-based sources were the only resource available for research. Computers made research a great deal less time-consuming, but organizing internet-based research materials generally involved creating "real" paperwork. Things may, however, be changing with the advent of Zotero, a new research resource by Firefox.
One advantage of Zotero is that it archives source material almost fully automatically. It can arrange and cite sources in a logical and effective way, storing them locally with little user intervention and logically organizing them using tags and other tools. It can even identify sources (pages) as being books, articles, or other media, organizing the sources accordingly.
One of the most amazing and useful features of Zotero is its ability to allow note taking on an attached and very accessible platform, encouraging students to take notes almost directly on their sources, as if they had a sheet of paper to take notes on right beside a physical source. Zotero also allows students to highlight and otherwise annotate the web sources they use, again just as if they were ordinary print sources. The program also has the amazing ability to upload and/or attach other files. Features:
• helps access RSS feeds to 'expert sites'
• it is able to upload/attach other files, pictures, etc.
• note-taking, automatic citations
Strengths:
• can annotate and highlight web-pages, encouraging reading comprehension
• it is an instant referencing and citation tool
• allows students to share annotations and collaboration
• organizes student research through tags and other tools
• automatically identifies pages as books, articles, etc.
• allows note-taking on same page with no other applications needed
• it's free
Weaknesses:
• must use Firefox, Netscape
• students may be tempted to neglect more traditional modes of research
Before using...
• download the program
• watch (and have your students watch) the introductory video
Best Practices #1: Encourage students to regard research as a social activity. This is not hard to do with the incredible features Zotero possesses, but it is critical that students view research (which is an integral part of learning) as a potentially social activity, which is all the more paramount in the post-modern Internet era. But students should take advantage (appropriately) of the fact that they can post on the research of other students.
Best Practices #2: Have students extensively use the note-taking feature. As stated earlier, Zotero does an excellent job of simulating the note taking that occurs in more traditional research. Since it is digital, the program is a perfect way to acclimate students from the digital age to an activity that may be seen by them as a bit stale. Closely related is the opportunity that Zotero provides for students to highlight and interact with the articles they select.
Best Practices #3:
Use Zotero to augment traditional research, not replace it. As many bells and whistles as Zotero may have (and there are quite a laudable few), they can never fully replace the more paper-oriented past research originally had. Consequently, it is important that students are aware of and able to utilize more traditional modes. This is important both in a high school context and in a more collegiate atmosphere, when Internet sources may not be so genially tolerated.
Overview
Traditionally, books and other paper-based sources were the only resource available for research. Computers made research a great deal less time-consuming, but organizing internet-based research materials generally involved creating "real" paperwork. Things may, however, be changing with the advent of Zotero, a new research resource by Firefox.
One advantage of Zotero is that it archives source material almost fully automatically. It can arrange and cite sources in a logical and effective way, storing them locally with little user intervention and logically organizing them using tags and other tools. It can even identify sources (pages) as being books, articles, or other media, organizing the sources accordingly.
One of the most amazing and useful features of Zotero is its ability to allow note taking on an attached and very accessible platform, encouraging students to take notes almost directly on their sources, as if they had a sheet of paper to take notes on right beside a physical source. Zotero also allows students to highlight and otherwise annotate the web sources they use, again just as if they were ordinary print sources. The program also has the amazing ability to upload and/or attach other files.
Features:
• helps access RSS feeds to 'expert sites'
• it is able to upload/attach other files, pictures, etc.
• note-taking, automatic citations
Strengths:
• can annotate and highlight web-pages, encouraging reading comprehension
• it is an instant referencing and citation tool
• allows students to share annotations and collaboration
• organizes student research through tags and other tools
• automatically identifies pages as books, articles, etc.
• allows note-taking on same page with no other applications needed
• it's free
Weaknesses:
• must use Firefox, Netscape
• students may be tempted to neglect more traditional modes of research
Before using...
• download the program
• watch (and have your students watch) the introductory video
Best Practices #1:
Encourage students to regard research as a social activity. This is not hard to do with the incredible features Zotero possesses, but it is critical that students view research (which is an integral part of learning) as a potentially social activity, which is all the more paramount in the post-modern Internet era. But students should take advantage (appropriately) of the fact that they can post on the research of other students.
Best Practices #2:
Have students extensively use the note-taking feature. As stated earlier, Zotero does an excellent job of simulating the note taking that occurs in more traditional research. Since it is digital, the program is a perfect way to acclimate students from the digital age to an activity that may be seen by them as a bit stale. Closely related is the opportunity that Zotero provides for students to highlight and interact with the articles they select.
Best Practices #3:
Use Zotero to augment traditional research, not replace it. As many bells and whistles as Zotero may have (and there are quite a laudable few), they can never fully replace the more paper-oriented past research originally had. Consequently, it is important that students are aware of and able to utilize more traditional modes. This is important both in a high school context and in a more collegiate atmosphere, when Internet sources may not be so genially tolerated.
Bibliography